A Passion Driven Life

You cannot change what you are, only what you do. – Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass

In a commencement address to the graduating students of Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs recalled a quote he first read when he was 17.

“If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”

He went on to say that the quote stuck with him though most of his adult life and that he would look himself in the mirror each morning and ask himself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

If the answer was “no” for too many consecutive days, he knew it was time for a change.

So after waking up too many mornings with a resounding “no” reverberating through my own groggy and tired head, I drove down to the office and promptly terminated a successful corporate career. My own. It was January 14, 2003, which also happened to be my birthday.

Photography was a serious hobby with occasional financial rewards, but not nearly rewarding enough to pay for my lifestyle at the time – not even close. Photography and travel were excellent ways to spend money, not make it (That’s still almost entirely true, by the way). Still, I was determined to give it a go, even if I really had no idea how to get there. The only thing I knew for certain was that my talent and energy were being atrophied as I counted down the days to each bimonthly paycheck.

This was new to me. I was a rationally thinking organism with an economics degree who always made decisions with cold, hard logic and yet there was nothing rational about this line of thought. In return for a six-figure salary, benefits, and financial security, I was getting what exactly? No salary, no plan for getting any income in the near future, no benefits, no financial security? On its face, it was a no-brainer, yet my intuition and heart told me otherwise.

Wild places, wildlife, and travel were my passions in life. Capturing and sharing my experiences in these places were what inspired me to get up each morning, not my 9-to-5. It was the first thing I thought about each morning and the last thing each night before drifting off to sleep. If I were going to preach that you had to do what you love to truly be successful in life – as was my mantra to my employees – I would have to buy into it myself and not look back. I was only willing to accept excellence in myself and I could only achieve excellence by doing what I loved and was truly passionate about.

Throughout the transition, I received a tremendous amount of emotional support from family and close friends. I’ll always be grateful for that. Some were genuinely concerned and that was certainly understandable. Others thought it was only a phase I was going through – a mid-life crisis, perhaps – that I would eventually outgrow before crawling back to the real world again. At least no one told me to grow up and get a haircut.

“But taking pictures isn’t real work,” many would say. “You’re just running off to pretty places and having fun.

“Right,” I would answer. “So what exactly is your point?”

You see, I never considered being a photographer as an occupation. The word occupation is derived from the same Latin word that spawned the word occupy, essentially meaning, “to take up space.” That little phrase should paint a vivid enough word picture to illustrate precisely what I’m trying to convey here.

Vocation, on the other hand, comes from the Latin word, vocare or “a calling.” If throwing away a “successful” career and financial security – not to mention rationality – in order to chase down one’s dream and passion in life isn’t a calling, then I’m not sure what is. Being a photographer is my vocation. It’s not what I do; it’s what I am. There aren’t very many people who can say the same about their occupation.

So after many years now of traveling the world, chasing down magical light, and capturing as many unrepeatable moments in the wild on film and digital media as possible, I’d like to think that I’ve achieved a modest amount of success as a professional photographer. But what is a “success” anyway? By one yardstick, I already was a success those many years ago.

But if living an inspired, passion driven life doing exactly what I feel I was meant to do – while managing to live financially comfortable as well – is another yardstick with which to measure success, well then I guess I’ve achieved something after all. It’s also the greatest birthday gift I could have ever given myself.

Richard Bernabe is a professional photographer specializing in travel, wildlife, and nature as well as an author of books, magazine articles, and travel essays published world-wide. Richard is a global influencer is the fields of photography, travel, and wildlife conservation with more than one million followers on social media platforms. He leads several photography tours and workshops all over the world and is invited to speak to photography and conservation groups all across the globe. For more great information on new images, gear reviews, book projects, and photography workshops and tours,Sign Up For Our Newsletter.

Related

12 Comments

An inspiring story, Richard. You have done what I too dream of doing; however, with a young family I just haven’t mustered the nerve to step off the cliff. Kudos and respect to you, and keep the fabulous photographs coming!

Thank you for sharing your story with us..I so appreciate your transparency and passion behind the call you felt led to all those many years ago. I love that you pursued your dream and pushed through even though the details of what might actually happen leaving the corporate world presented to you- I love that you were brave enough to go after it..
I believe God places those desires deep within us and though at times we resist the pull ..it usually is our fears that paralyzes us to hold back .. But if that desire seems to linger and not leave us..we can step out in faith and give it our all …knowing we at least tried. Thank you for such an inspiring testimony that it can be achieved if you’re willing to push through those tough beginnings and not give up.. the rewards for following through are even sweeter knowing you were honest with the call upon your heart!

Great story. Having just turned 30 and in a corporate career I hate, many of your points resonated with me. Having recently discovered my passion for photography I have made it my personal mission to change my life and become a pro photographer by the time i’m 40 (I know I am not good enough yet and need to put in the graft).

Your story is exactly what I needed to hear as all the doubts arise in my mind trying to tell me I can’t do this, but I will certainly try.

Richard, this is so true and inspiring. Imagine for a moment a word full of people actually pursuing their passion instead of living somebody else’s life: spiritual and economic gains for humanity would be exponential.. Unfortunately, few individuals and schools include in their educational programmes that higher goal of finding our Mission (which probably requires a fair amount of learning, practice and self-reflection). Thank you for sharing your story and being a changemaker.

I believe success and passion is a reflection of your heart. Everyday, is a gift and a miracle for me, and grateful to awake to sunshine rays each morning. This knowledge inspires my passion to inspire, love and as a writer, write words that will last an eternity.

Your inspirational words, thoughts and photographs will be embraced by the world for an eternity.

The calling to live your life is always a gift to nuture. Richard’s eternal quest to find, reflect and share the earths soul is a gift to us all. A mighty decision followed through with great respect: thank you for being the best version of yourself.